AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ashlyn nodded cautiously. She always felt self-conscious when she was around Mark. She could never be sure if he was really just trying to patch things up or if he only saw her someone he had slept with. She certainly couldn’t place as much trust in Mark as she could in say, Pamela. Pamela would never do something purposely to hurt Ashlyn.
“I saw you talking to that extra,” Mark said, nodding in the general direction of Brandon. Ashlyn instantly crossed her arms and readied herself for confrontation. “Hey, Ashlyn, I’m just trying to take care of you.”
Ashlyn raised her eyebrows. “Obviously, that’s what you want to do. Maybe I wasn’t great at judging your character, but I’m normally quite good. Brandon is a gentleman.”
“I agree,” Mark replied. That surprised Ashlyn. She thought this was some case of ex-boyfriend’s revenge, but Mark seemed to be telling the truth. “I just want to tell you something as a friend, because I still care about you even though I know you don’t think anything of me now. How did Brandon become an extra? You told him about the spot, didn’t you?”
Ashlyn wondered how Mark knew so much. Had he been a spy before he worked on filming? “And once he knew about the spot, he got the idea of moving up the world. Most people don’t know the acting world well. They think it’s easy. They think that once you’re in, you earn big bucks. Brandon is using you to get a higher place. He’s using you just like the lowest rung on a ladder. He doesn’t mind walking all over you if it means getting higher up.”
Ashlyn opened her mouth to protest. She was not going to let Brandon walk all over her like she was some piece of trash. “I know what I am doing thank you very much. You’ve already taught me one lesson, and that’s all I need from you. I won’t get drunk, and I’ll keep making intelligent decisions. You don’t know the conversation that has passed between Brandon and I before he even knew where I worked. You don’t know anything about him. So just move on and ruin someone else’s day.”
Ashlyn turned away from Mark, but she already didn’t have an appetite. She saw Brandon jovially talking with a few crew members. Ashlyn just wanted a few moments by herself to think. Mark wasn’t right. He couldn’t possibly be right. He was just jealous, but Ashlyn couldn’t keep the doubt from creeping into her mind.
Chapter Five
Ashlyn felt grumpy. She hated the feeling of distrust, and right now, she didn’t know who she could trust. Mark had obviously done something to break her trust. She wouldn’t trust herself in his hands again, but did that mean that she should trust his words? Brandon hadn’t done anything to break her trust. He had been the joking, considerate gentleman that she had always wanted to find. But Mark’s claims could be true. There was always the possibility. How was she going to be able to get rid of her doubts without ruining her relationship with Brandon?
Ashlyn felt tears pricking at her eyes. No fantasy could ever really be a fantasy. Something always shattered her hopes of a romance like there was in the movie. Ashlyn hurried over to her camera and forewent having lunch, preferring to call her mom.
“Hi, Ashlyn!” her mom answered in a perky voice. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. How is Aunt Jennifer?”
“She’s doing much better. I wish that you could have come out to see her, though. I think she would have really appreciated it.”
“I know, Mom. I wish I could have too, but by the time I would have gotten there, she would have already come out of the hospital. I will fly back to see you guys at Christmas if all goes well.”
“That’s a long way away.”
“I know, Mom. I miss both of you.”
“I miss you too, darling.” Ashlyn had been planning to ask her mom for advice when it came to the guys, but now just talking to her mom seemed to make her feel better, even without having a solution to her problem. Besides, how would she be able to privately explain what was going on when anyone nearby would be able to hear here?
“What were you calling for?” Mom asked.
“I just wanted to talk to you. My schedule is so crazy that I hardly have a free minute,” Ashlyn was trying to make an excuse for not calling earlier.
“I understand, Sweetheart. You’re an adult now. You have your own life.”
Ashlyn smiled bittersweetly. Suddenly, she wanted her mom to tell her exactly what to do, so she walked away from all the cameras and poured out everything that had happened in the last few weeks, not leaving out anything. She even told her mom about the confusing situation with Mark. She ended with, “I don’t think he would hurt me. I think Mark cares for me, but I don’t know if I can trust what he says.”
“Sweetheart,” her mom sighed, and Ashlyn waited impatiently for her mother’s wisdom. “I can’t tell you what to do.” Now Ashlyn was copying her mom’s sigh. “I know you want me to, but I don’t know either one of these men. I can’t make the decision for you.”
“I know, Mom. I want to trust Brandon, and I don’t have any reason not to trust him. But then again, Mark could be telling the truth.”
“And Mark could be exaggerating. Tell me this, if you really trust Brandon, why do Mark’s words bother you so much?”
Ashlyn thought over her mom’s question for a few minutes. “I guess it bothers me, because I am scared that he’s right. I don’t know Brandon very well. I think we’re going on day four or something. I’ve known Mark longer.”
“Exactly, if you’ve only known Brandon for four days, then you can’t expect yourself to know everything about him. Give it some time.”
“It’s just that I don’t know how much time we have,” Ashlyn told her mom. “We’re only filming here for two weeks. Is that enough time to really get to know someone?”
“You have to ask yourself what your plans are after the filming. Will you try to work on filming another movie? Where is that movie going to be filming? Are you willing to give up a chance at filming to stay at the beach near Brandon?”
“At some point, I have to be willing to give up something,” Ashlyn replied softly. “I can’t keep going against guys who show interest in me just because it doesn’t fit into my plans right then. In the future, it might fit perfectly.”
“That’s what you have to work through, Ashlyn. Maybe you have to do a long distance relationship for a while. But get to know him as much as you can. Use your common sense.”
